Automatic belt-shifter.



No. 800,120. PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905. J. F. OOHARD. AUTOMATIC BELT SHIFTER.

APPLICATION FILED I'EB.18. 1905.

Ill! II WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

JOHN F. OOHARD, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO WILLIAM GRIFFITHS, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

AUTOMATIC BELT-SHIFTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1905.-

Applioation filed IehrnarylS, 1905. $erial No. 246,350.

To all whom it may concern:

- Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Belt-Shifters; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to means for controlling the operation more particularly of pumps or compressors, although it might be'adapted for use with other machines.

The objects of the invention are to enable the pump to be stopped or started automatically, according as is demanded by the condition of the tank intowhich the pumping is being done, to secure a simple and effective construction which can be adjusted to different machines and which is not liable to get out of order, and to secure other advantages and results, some of which may be hereinafter referred to in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved automatic belt-shifter and in the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth, and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures,Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved device, and Fig. 2 is a plan of the same.

In said drawings, 2 indicates the standard or foot-piece of the supporting portion of my improved device, said standard providing a vertical tubular portion adapted to receive the lower arm 3 of an upper elbow-shaped portion of the support, the said upper portion 4 being thus adjustable to any desired height and being adapted to be set in position by means of a clamping-screw 5 on the lower portion or foot-piece 2.

It will be understood that the horizontal arm f the upper portion 4 of the support .is adapted to extend adjacent to the belt 7,

in the tank.

which runs from the usual fast and loose pulleys 8 9 upon a driving-shaft 23 to the pump, compressor, or other machine to which my invention is applied. Said pump or compressor is not shown in the drawings, but may be of any ordinary type adapted to pump into a tank (not shown) to establish any desired pressure therein. Upon said horizontal arm 6, adjacent to its upright stem 3, ar-e lateral rests 24, and on these is mounted a cyclinder 10, within which a piston 11 is adapted to reciprocate, the stem 12 of said piston extending out through a suitable stuffing-box at the end of the cylinder and along the face of the arm 6 toward its outerend, where it finds a bearing in a lug 14. The said cylinder 10 is near one of its ends connected, as by a duct 15, with the. tank into which the pumping is being done, said duct 15 being for convenience provided with a valve 16, although in the operation of my invention the said valve is left open, so that uninterrupted communication is established between the tank and cylinder. I have shown in the drawings the said duct 15 as opening into the cylinder 10 at the end thereof from which the piston-stem projects, and the outer end of the said piston-rod is connected by a chain 17 running around an idle pulley 18, to one end of a lever 19, pivoted above the horizontal arm 6 upon an extension or stud 20 thereof and normally lying'in the plane of said arm 6. Said lever at its end oppo site that to which the chain 17 is affixed carries an adjustable weight 21, which weight therefore tends to draw the piston out of the cylinder, and thus project the piston rod 12. On the contrary, the duct 15 admits pressure, which tends to force the piston into the cylinder and retract the piston-rod to raise the weight 21. Upon the said piston-rod 12 is arranged a .fork 22, the arms of which straddle the belt 7, and said fork 22 is so disposed upon the piston-rod and the movements of the latter so limited that When the piston is driven outward with respect to the cylinder by the pressure entering through theduct 15 said fork 22 carries the belt 7 onto the idle pulley 9. This stops the machine or pump and prevents any further increase of pressure When, however, by usage the pressure falls in the tank, the pressure in the cylinder 10 will not be suflicient to maintain the position of the piston-head 11, and the said piston Will be slid outward by the weight 21, so that the belt 7 is shifted onto the drivingpulley 8. Obviously these movements are automatic and take place Without any attention on the part of the engineer or operator. At the same time great accuracy and regularity are secured and a loss or waste of power prevented. Furthermore, it will be noted that the ducts 15 and Weighted lever 19 might be interchanged with respect to the direction of movement of the piston and various other minor changes made Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is 1. The herein-described belt-shifter for.

pumps, compressors, &c., comprising a standard, a supporting-arm projecting from said standard and adapted to extend adjacent to the belt and transversely thereof, said arm having lateral rests near the said standard and a vertical edge extension near the opposite or free end, a fixed cylinder mounted in said rests, a piston in said cylinder having its rod projecting therefrom away from the standard, a pulley at the free end of the supporting-arm, a lever fulerumed on the said vertical edge extension of the supporting-arm, a chain connecting said piston-rod to one arm of said lever and passing around said pulley, a weight upon the other arm of the lever, a belt-shifting fork carried by said piston-rod and chain in their longitudinal movement, and a duct entering the said cylinder from the pump-discharge at that side of the piston at which pressure will shift the said fork to throw the belt into idle position.

2. The herein-described belt-shifter for pumps, compressors, &c., comprising a standard, a supporting-arm projecting from said standard and adapted to extend transversely above the belt to be shifted, said arm having lateral rests near the said standard, a lateral bearing-lug, and an upward extension from its upper edge near the opposite end, a fixed cylinder mounted on said rests, a piston in said cylinder having its rod projecting therefrom away from the standard and finding a bearing in said lateral lug of the supportingarm, a belt-shifting fork on said piston-rod, r pulley at the free end of the supporting-arm, a lever fulcrumed on the said upward extension of the SU]')DOI'tlDg- LID], a chain connecting said piston-rod to one arm of said lever and passing around said pulley, a weight upon the other arm of the lever, and a duet entering the said lever from the pump-discharg at that side of the piston at which pressure will shift the said fork to throw the belt into idle position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing l have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of February, 1905.

JOHN 1*. O0] lAltl).

itnessesz M. V. DoYLu, RUSSELL M. EVERETT. 

